7 Steps to a Winning Sports Resume

The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

Your resume is the first impression a hiring manager gets of you and what they can expect if they bring you into their organization. So how do you craft a sports resume that make you a winning candidate? That’s what Neil in Boston wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hey Brian, I’m a 25-year-old who really loves your show. I graduated with a finance degree a couple of years back and really am not happy in my career. I want to change to a sports career, and I’m putting together my plan to get there. My question is, is a sports resume different from a traditional business resume?”

How to Write a Good Resume

When it comes to sports resumes, here's what matters to hiring managers (in order of importance):

• Skills

• Experience (which ties into skills)

• Education

So how do you determine which skills you need for your sports resume? Check job descriptions of the positions you are interested in. Doing so will provide a roadmap to what the job requires and how your skills stack up. Here are some more resume writing tips to get you started:

1. Highlight your student-athlete experience (if applicable): the sport, years played, and accomplishments

2. Include valued soft skills (with examples from your experience) such as teamwork, competitive, coachable, and loyal

3. Use statistics: social media engagement rates, sales revenue, performance metrics, etc.

4. Show how you solved a challenge with your actions

5. Make different resumes based on the types of positions you are applying for

6. Tell a compelling story with your resume that showcases your personality

7. Have a resume that clears the Applicant Tracking System and another for showing employers at the interview